The report is straight to the point -- a decade's worth of backward ferries policy is damaging the provincial economy. Frankly, for a government that is desperate for economic investment and job creation, their decisions are puzzling.

The Northern Gateway and Kinder Morgan pipeline proposals plan to significantly increase heavy oil tankers to Asia and both governments have promised "world-class" oil spill response on land and in the water. British Columbians are skeptical about this commitment. Stories like the sinking tug near Squamish are regularly in and out of the media reminding folks that nothing has been done. There is nothing "world-class" about the provincial-federal response to marine-based environmental concerns in the past.

Protecting farmland in perpetuity is the provincial interest, but it is only half the issue. Ensuring farmers can afford to farm is the vital other half. When farmers aren't making a living, when they can't afford to feed themselves, they are forced to make choices that may put their farmland and the provincial interest at risk.